diff --git a/packages/grafana-data/src/geo/layer.ts b/packages/grafana-data/src/geo/layer.ts
index caa0360a672..10252788728 100644
--- a/packages/grafana-data/src/geo/layer.ts
+++ b/packages/grafana-data/src/geo/layer.ts
@@ -104,9 +104,9 @@ export interface MapLayerRegistryItem<TConfig = MapLayerOptions> extends Registr
   showLocation?: boolean;
 
   /**
-   * Show transparency controls in UI (for non-basemaps)
+   * Hide transparency controls in UI
    */
-  showOpacity?: boolean;
+  hideOpacity?: boolean;
 
   /**
    * Function that configures transformation and returns a transformer
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/GeomapPanel.tsx b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/GeomapPanel.tsx
index 23d58e9702f..e6958ccfd3e 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/GeomapPanel.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/GeomapPanel.tsx
@@ -503,6 +503,9 @@ export class GeomapPanel extends Component<Props, State> {
 
     const handler = await item.create(map, options, config.theme2);
     const layer = handler.init();
+    if (options.opacity != null) {
+      layer.setOpacity(1 - options.opacity);
+    }
 
     if (!options.name) {
       options.name = this.getNextLayerName();
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/editor/LayersEditor.tsx b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/editor/LayersEditor.tsx
index 7dc9d4f18b4..83a78dd2894 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/editor/LayersEditor.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/editor/LayersEditor.tsx
@@ -7,11 +7,9 @@ import { AddLayerButton } from 'app/core/components/Layers/AddLayerButton';
 import { LayerDragDropList } from 'app/core/components/Layers/LayerDragDropList';
 
 import { GeomapInstanceState } from '../GeomapPanel';
-import { geomapLayerRegistry } from '../layers/registry';
+import { getLayersOptions } from '../layers/registry';
 import { GeomapPanelOptions, MapLayerState } from '../types';
 
-import { dataLayerFilter } from './layerEditor';
-
 type LayersEditorProps = StandardEditorProps<any, any, GeomapPanelOptions, GeomapInstanceState>;
 
 export const LayersEditor = (props: LayersEditorProps) => {
@@ -61,7 +59,7 @@ export const LayersEditor = (props: LayersEditorProps) => {
       <Container>
         <AddLayerButton
           onChange={(v) => actions.addlayer(v.value!)}
-          options={geomapLayerRegistry.selectOptions(undefined, dataLayerFilter).options}
+          options={getLayersOptions(false).options}
           label={'Add layer'}
         />
       </Container>
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/editor/layerEditor.tsx b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/editor/layerEditor.tsx
index 755e3390ba3..7f62209450f 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/editor/layerEditor.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/editor/layerEditor.tsx
@@ -1,14 +1,13 @@
 import { get as lodashGet, isEqual } from 'lodash';
 
-import { FrameGeometrySourceMode, MapLayerOptions, MapLayerRegistryItem, PluginState } from '@grafana/data';
+import { FrameGeometrySourceMode, MapLayerOptions } from '@grafana/data';
 import { NestedPanelOptions, NestedValueAccess } from '@grafana/data/src/utils/OptionsUIBuilders';
-import { hasAlphaPanels } from 'app/core/config';
 import { setOptionImmutably } from 'app/features/dashboard/components/PanelEditor/utils';
 import { addLocationFields } from 'app/features/geo/editor/locationEditor';
 
 import { FrameSelectionEditor } from '../layers/data/FrameSelectionEditor';
 import { defaultMarkersConfig } from '../layers/data/markersLayer';
-import { DEFAULT_BASEMAP_CONFIG, geomapLayerRegistry } from '../layers/registry';
+import { DEFAULT_BASEMAP_CONFIG, geomapLayerRegistry, getLayersOptions } from '../layers/registry';
 import { MapLayerState } from '../types';
 
 export interface LayerEditorOptions {
@@ -62,11 +61,11 @@ export function getLayerEditor(opts: LayerEditorOptions): NestedPanelOptions<Map
       const { handler, options } = opts.state;
       const layer = geomapLayerRegistry.getIfExists(options?.type);
 
-      const layerTypes = geomapLayerRegistry.selectOptions(
+      const layerTypes = getLayersOptions(
+        opts.basemaps,
         options?.type // the selected value
-          ? [options.type] // as an array
-          : [DEFAULT_BASEMAP_CONFIG.type],
-        opts.basemaps ? baseMapFilter : dataLayerFilter
+          ? options.type
+          : DEFAULT_BASEMAP_CONFIG.type
       );
 
       builder.addSelect({
@@ -103,11 +102,19 @@ export function getLayerEditor(opts: LayerEditorOptions): NestedPanelOptions<Map
       if (handler.registerOptionsUI) {
         handler.registerOptionsUI(builder);
       }
-      if (layer.showOpacity) {
-        // TODO -- add opacity check
-      }
-
       if (!isEqual(opts.category, ['Base layer'])) {
+        if (!layer.hideOpacity) {
+          builder.addSliderInput({
+            path: 'opacity',
+            name: 'Opacity',
+            defaultValue: 1,
+            settings: {
+              min: 0,
+              max: 1,
+              step: 0.1,
+            },
+          });
+        }
         builder.addBooleanSwitch({
           path: 'tooltip',
           name: 'Display tooltip',
@@ -118,23 +125,3 @@ export function getLayerEditor(opts: LayerEditorOptions): NestedPanelOptions<Map
     },
   };
 }
-
-function baseMapFilter(layer: MapLayerRegistryItem): boolean {
-  if (!layer.isBaseMap) {
-    return false;
-  }
-  if (layer.state === PluginState.alpha) {
-    return hasAlphaPanels;
-  }
-  return true;
-}
-
-export function dataLayerFilter(layer: MapLayerRegistryItem): boolean {
-  if (layer.isBaseMap) {
-    return false;
-  }
-  if (layer.state === PluginState.alpha) {
-    return hasAlphaPanels;
-  }
-  return true;
-}
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/carto.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/carto.ts
index 7245507dc47..25398f9a04d 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/carto.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/carto.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ export const defaultCartoConfig: CartoConfig = {
 
 export const carto: MapLayerRegistryItem<CartoConfig> = {
   id: 'carto',
-  name: 'CARTO reference map',
+  name: 'CARTO basemap',
+  description: 'Add layer CARTO Raster basemaps',
   isBaseMap: true,
   defaultOptions: defaultCartoConfig,
 
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/esri.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/esri.ts
index e8873235e6a..321230129cf 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/esri.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/esri.ts
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ export interface ESRIXYZConfig extends XYZConfig {
 export const esriXYZTiles: MapLayerRegistryItem<ESRIXYZConfig> = {
   id: 'esri-xyz',
   name: 'ArcGIS MapServer',
+  description: 'Add layer from an ESRI ArcGIS MapServer',
   isBaseMap: true,
 
   create: async (map: Map, options: MapLayerOptions<ESRIXYZConfig>, theme: GrafanaTheme2) => {
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/generic.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/generic.ts
index 622a10768e0..10feba2f1d2 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/generic.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/generic.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ export const defaultXYZConfig: XYZConfig = {
 export const xyzTiles: MapLayerRegistryItem<XYZConfig> = {
   id: 'xyz',
   name: 'XYZ Tile layer',
+  description: 'Add map from a generic tile layer',
   isBaseMap: true,
 
   create: async (map: Map, options: MapLayerOptions<XYZConfig>, theme: GrafanaTheme2) => ({
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/osm.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/osm.ts
index e51e181315e..9808235541e 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/osm.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/basemaps/osm.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { MapLayerRegistryItem, MapLayerOptions } from '@grafana/data';
 export const standard: MapLayerRegistryItem = {
   id: 'osm-standard',
   name: 'Open Street Map',
+  description: 'Add map from a collaborative free geographic world database',
   isBaseMap: true,
 
   /**
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/data/markersLayer.tsx b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/data/markersLayer.tsx
index 8641c09ce0b..122b0798643 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/data/markersLayer.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/data/markersLayer.tsx
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ export const markersLayer: MapLayerRegistryItem<MarkersConfig> = {
   description: 'Use markers to render each data point',
   isBaseMap: false,
   showLocation: true,
+  hideOpacity: true,
 
   /**
    * Function that configures transformation and returns a transformer
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/registry.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/registry.ts
index b346e552f23..3673dd13eb8 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/registry.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/geomap/layers/registry.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,14 @@
 import Map from 'ol/Map';
 
-import { MapLayerRegistryItem, Registry, MapLayerOptions, GrafanaTheme2 } from '@grafana/data';
-import { config } from 'app/core/config';
+import {
+  MapLayerRegistryItem,
+  Registry,
+  MapLayerOptions,
+  GrafanaTheme2,
+  SelectableValue,
+  PluginState,
+} from '@grafana/data';
+import { config, hasAlphaPanels } from 'app/core/config';
 
 import { basemapLayers } from './basemaps';
 import { carto } from './basemaps/carto';
@@ -42,3 +49,30 @@ export const geomapLayerRegistry = new Registry<MapLayerRegistryItem<any>>(() =>
   ...basemapLayers, // simple basemaps
   ...dataLayers, // Layers with update functions
 ]);
+
+interface RegistrySelectInfo {
+  options: Array<SelectableValue<string>>;
+  current: Array<SelectableValue<string>>;
+}
+
+function getLayersSelection(items: Array<MapLayerRegistryItem<any>>, current?: string): RegistrySelectInfo {
+  const res: RegistrySelectInfo = { options: [], current: [] };
+  for (const layer of items) {
+    if (layer.state === PluginState.alpha && !hasAlphaPanels) {
+      continue;
+    }
+    const opt = { label: layer.name, value: layer.id, description: layer.description };
+    res.options.push(opt);
+    if (layer.id === current) {
+      res.current.push(opt);
+    }
+  }
+  return res;
+}
+
+export function getLayersOptions(basemap: boolean, current?: string): RegistrySelectInfo {
+  if (basemap) {
+    return getLayersSelection([defaultBaseLayer, ...basemapLayers], current);
+  }
+  return getLayersSelection([...dataLayers, ...basemapLayers], current);
+}